Tony's POV
"Tony! Watch this!" Emily swings from bar to bar on the indoor playground at the mall.
"Good job mi amor!" I call from the bench I'm sitting on.
"I can do it too!!" Donny jumps on the monkey bars. He swings from one end to another then drops to the ground and smiles.
"Good job lil man."
Emily and Donny go running around some more and I look back down at my phone.
"Hey you."
I turn around to see Evie walking towards me.
"Hey mamas." I stand up to give Evie a hug then we both sit down.
"You talk to your mom?"
"Yeah." She blows out a puff of air. "Turns out the guy she was banging really is her boss and they're actually in a relationship. And she dances. Like not stripper dances but honestly, it's the same difference. I told her that she needs a new job, especially because I don't want Donny finding out. She said she'll try but I really just wish she were normal Tony. I wish my entire life were normal. I hate growing up in the ghetto. I hate going to a crappy school. I just hate everything."
"You don't hate me." I nudge her with my knee.
She rolls her eyes and continues. "I just feel so stuck right now."
"But all that's gonna change Evette. You're working so hard and it's all gonna pay off soon. Just do what I do when life gets hard, focus on Donny and..." I don't finish my sentence.
"And what?"
"And me." I smile then kiss her softly.
"You're such a flirt." She nudges me with her shoulder.
"Just for you."
We laugh a little then watch Donny and Evie race down two slides.
I'm watching Donny run back and forth when I see him trip over his shoelace and fall face first into the ground. Evie gasps besides me and a second later, Donny starts screaming.
I jump up and go running towards him. I help him up off the ground and he's crying really hard. And his nose is bleeding... Bad.
I try to get a better look at his nose but he won't let me touch him.
"Donny, we gotta get you cleaned up." I try to wipe the blood off his face but he swats my hand away.
"It hurts!" He screams. "Don't touch it. Don't touch it!"
Evie comes up besides me and she has a first aid kit in her hand.
"Where'd you get that?" I mutter.
"First aid station. Over there." She points behind her then starts opening the box.
"I have to wipe your nose Donny. It'll only take a second." She takes out a towel to wipe Donny's face.
"But—
Before he can finish his sentence, Evie has already wiped all the blood from Donny's face.
"There."
A little more blood comes out of his nose so Evie gently sticks two plugs into his nostrils.
"Breathe through your mouth okay? We can ice it when we get home."
Donny nods.
"Are you okay?!" Emily comes running around the corner. "I couldn't get off the ladder at the top of the playground to help you!" She hugs Donny and he flinches.
"I'm okay," he says.
I watch as Evie bandages his elbows.
"Okay," she finally says. "Good as new."
"Can we go home now?" Donny asks.
I can't help but laugh. "Yes. We can go home now."
Donny holds my hand and Emily's. I grab Evie's and we all walk towards the bus stop.
"How did you do that?"
We're on the bus on the way back to my apartment. Donny and Emily are sitting a row in front of us talking about the movie we saw earlier.
"Do what?" Evie turns from looking out the window to face me.
"You got Donny to be so calm. He wouldn't even let me touch him."
She smiles and then shrugs. "I dunno. I guess ‘cause I’m always the one to help him. I just try to remember what I was like at 7 and what my mom would do when I would fall. If you start freaking out, then they freak out too."
"You're gonna be a good mom some day Evie." I open my mouth to keep talking but all of a sudden my head feels like it got hit by a sledgehammer.
I pull my arm out from around Evie and grab my head.
"Tony? What's wrong?" Evie's leans forward to look at me.
"I'm okay." I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. "It's just a headache. It's a side effect from my concussion. Just give me a minute."
Evie rubs my back as I close my eyes and wait for the headache to pass.
After a few minutes, I open my eyes again.
"I didn't know it was that bad." Evie looks down at her feet.
"What was?"
"You. Your body. Your head." She eyes the scar above my eyebrow. "I saw your back when you changed in front of me today. I didn't know it was so bad." She starts fidgeting with her hair. "Gosh, I was such a jerk to you today too."
"It's okay Evie," I shrug. "You were having a bad day."
"It's not Tony. I know I have an attitude sometimes but I’m really sorry for the way I treated you last night and this morning. I was just mad about everything happening.”
“I know Evie. Don't worry about it mamas." I pull her into me and kiss her forehead. “So back to what I was saying about you being a good mom.” I smirk when Evie looks up at me.
She rolls her eyes then leans back into me. “I feel like we’ve had this conversation before.”
I laugh. “That’s ‘cause we have had this conversation before. I said I wanted three and you never answered the question.”
“Did to! I said I wanted them in the future.”
“But how many?”
“Gahh. That’s a hard question. I guess three.”
“And why’s that?” I ask.
“Because you want three kids.”
“So we are getting married?” I tease her.
“Yup,” she says simply. “5 years from now. As soon as we finish college.”
“I’m gonna remember you said that mamas.”
She smiles and we ride back to East Side in comfortable silence.
Tony's POV
"Tony! Watch this!" Emily swings from bar to bar on the indoor playground at the mall.
"Good job mi amor!" I call from the bench I'm sitting on.
"I can do it too!!" Donny jumps on the monkey bars. He swings from one end to another then drops to the ground and smiles.
"Good job lil man."
Emily and Donny go running around some more and I look back down at my phone.
"Hey you."
I turn around to see Evie walking towards me.
"Hey mamas." I stand up to give Evie a hug then we both sit down.
"You talk to your mom?"
"Yeah." She blows out a puff of air. "Turns out the guy she was banging really is her boss and they're actually in a relationship. And she dances. Like not stripper dances but honestly, it's the same difference. I told her that she needs a new job, especially because I don't want Donny finding out. She said she'll try but I really just wish she were normal Tony. I wish my entire life were normal. I hate growing up in the ghetto. I hate going to a crappy school. I just hate everything."
"You don't hate me." I nudge her with my knee.
She rolls her eyes and continues. "I just feel so stuck right now."
"But all that's gonna change Evette. You're working so hard and it's all gonna pay off soon. Just do what I do when life gets hard, focus on Donny and..." I don't finish my sentence.
"And what?"
"And me." I smile then kiss her softly.
"You're such a flirt." She nudges me with her shoulder.
"Just for you."
We laugh a little then watch Donny and Evie race down two slides.
I'm watching Donny run back and forth when I see him trip over his shoelace and fall face first into the ground. Evie gasps besides me and a second later, Donny starts screaming.
I jump up and go running towards him. I help him up off the ground and he's crying really hard. And his nose is bleeding... Bad.
I try to get a better look at his nose but he won't let me touch him.
"Donny, we gotta get you cleaned up." I try to wipe the blood off his face but he swats my hand away.
"It hurts!" He screams. "Don't touch it. Don't touch it!"
Evie comes up besides me and she has a first aid kit in her hand.
"Where'd you get that?" I mutter.
"First aid station. Over there." She points behind her then starts opening the box.
"I have to wipe your nose Donny. It'll only take a second." She takes out a towel to wipe Donny's face.
"But—
Before he can finish his sentence, Evie has already wiped all the blood from Donny's face.
"There."
A little more blood comes out of his nose so Evie gently sticks two plugs into his nostrils.
"Breathe through your mouth okay? We can ice it when we get home."
Donny nods.
"Are you okay?!" Emily comes running around the corner. "I couldn't get off the ladder at the top of the playground to help you!" She hugs Donny and he flinches.
"I'm okay," he says.
I watch as Evie bandages his elbows.
"Okay," she finally says. "Good as new."
"Can we go home now?" Donny asks.
I can't help but laugh. "Yes. We can go home now."
Donny holds my hand and Emily's. I grab Evie's and we all walk towards the bus stop.
"How did you do that?"
We're on the bus on the way back to my apartment. Donny and Emily are sitting a row in front of us talking about the movie we saw earlier.
"Do what?" Evie turns from looking out the window to face me.
"You got Donny to be so calm. He wouldn't even let me touch him."
She smiles and then shrugs. "I dunno. I guess ‘cause I’m always the one to help him. I just try to remember what I was like at 7 and what my mom would do when I would fall. If you start freaking out, then they freak out too."
"You're gonna be a good mom some day Evie." I open my mouth to keep talking but all of a sudden my head feels like it got hit by a sledgehammer.
I pull my arm out from around Evie and grab my head.
"Tony? What's wrong?" Evie's leans forward to look at me.
"I'm okay." I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. "It's just a headache. It's a side effect from my concussion. Just give me a minute."
Evie rubs my back as I close my eyes and wait for the headache to pass.
After a few minutes, I open my eyes again.
"I didn't know it was that bad." Evie looks down at her feet.
"What was?"
"You. Your body. Your head." She eyes the scar above my eyebrow. "I saw your back when you changed in front of me today. I didn't know it was so bad." She starts fidgeting with her hair. "Gosh, I was such a jerk to you today too."
"It's okay Evie," I shrug. "You were having a bad day."
"It's not Tony. I know I have an attitude sometimes but I’m really sorry for the way I treated you last night and this morning. I was just mad about everything happening.”
“I know Evie. Don't worry about it mamas." I pull her into me and kiss her forehead. “So back to what I was saying about you being a good mom.” I smirk when Evie looks up at me.
She rolls her eyes then leans back into me. “I feel like we’ve had this conversation before.”
I laugh. “That’s ‘cause we have had this conversation before. I said I wanted three and you never answered the question.”
“Did to! I said I wanted them in the future.”
“But how many?”
“Gahh. That’s a hard question. I guess three.”
“And why’s that?” I ask.
“Because you want three kids.”
“So we are getting married?” I tease her.
“Yup,” she says simply. “5 years from now. As soon as we finish college.”
“I’m gonna remember you said that mamas.”
She smiles and we ride back to East Side in comfortable silence.